Many of the expensive elements of the infrastructure – the long-distance fibers and the computers – are already in place. So too are the tens of millions of potential users. The key ingredients needed are coordination and cooperation. These resources are arguably harder to come by than money, however, and may become the Achilles’ heel of the NII … The responsibility for this much-needed coordination must fall upon the federal government, whose purpose, lest we forget, is to worry about common issues that are critical to the nation. The government should undertake the first step toward the NII.
Predictor: Dertouzos, Michael
Prediction, in context:In a 1991 article for Technology Review, MIT researcher/administrator Michael Dertouzos writes that once the National Information Infrastructure is in place: ”What needs to be done? Money is not the most important requirement for building the NII [National Information Infrastructure], as it is for launching other national projects. Many of the expensive elements of the infrastructure – the long-distance fibers and the computers – are already in place. So too are the tens of millions of potential users. The key ingredients needed are coordination and cooperation. These resources are arguably harder to come by than money, however, and may become the Achilles’ heel of the NII. The NII is so all-encompassing, and its needs for communication conventions are so critical, that it cannot arise spontaneously. Nor can it easily evolve gradually, since there is disagreement even within a single large telephone company over how the NII should be structured. The responsibility for this much-needed coordination must fall upon the federal government, whose purpose, lest we forget, is to worry about common issues that are critical to the nation. The government should undertake the first step toward the NII by enlisting the cooperation of organizations like NSF [National Science Foundation], DARPA [Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] and CNRI [Corporation for National Research Initiatives] – which are already working toward similar goals – and of knowledgeable people from the telephone companies, universities and potential user groups, such as retailers and manufacturers. This initial group, created by Congress (perhaps by a National Information Infrastructure Act) and aided by executive order, would ‘seed’ the NII by agreeing on initial transport services, establishing communications conventions, and identifying common servers.”
Biography:Michael Dertouzos was director of the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science and the author of “The Unfinished Revolution.” He led a project intended to make computers adapt to people. He outlined a comprehensive proposal for a national information “infrastructure” in a 1991 article for Technology Review. (Research Scientist/Illuminator.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1991
Topic of prediction: Information Infrastructure
Subtopic: Role of Govt./Industry
Name of publication: Technology Review
Title, headline, chapter name: Building the Information Marketplace
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://web2.infortrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/599/939/33335311w2/purl=rcl
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney